Rain again dampened a Friday night of high school football, but almost all of the games kicked off when scheduled and it was an eventful night.
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Several Central Florida games were postponed earlier this week and Edgewater and Jones moved their games up because they are set to play each other at Jones on Monday night in a game that was postponed due to storms on Sept. 18.
Jones, ranked No. 3 in the Sentinel Super 16 Coaches Poll, lost to Lake Wales at on Thursday in awful conditions at home. No. 6 Edgewater moved its Week 8 home game against Olympia to Wednesday night and won 34-0 in what Edgewater head coach Patrick Browning said “was a monsoon all game.”
CHECK HERE FOR SCOREBOARD UPDATES ON ALL GAMES
Go to the Sentinel Varsity home page for news on all high school sports. Games listed are scheduled for 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise.
Rankings in bold are from this week’s Sentinel Super 16 coaches poll. Teams are listed with win-loss records in parentheses. Asterisks denote district games. District records are included for teams that have played previous district games
Week 8 matchups
Lake Wales defeated No. 3 Jones, 28-6 (Thursday)
Coverage by Chris Hays
A constant downpour of rain that hit the downtown Orlando area in late afternoon, met these two state-ranked teams upon arrival at Jones High. It did not let up until midway through the final quarter. By that time, Lake Wales had already built a 28-6 lead on the homesteading Tigers and it was too late to make much of a comeback attempt.
Jones, 4-2 overall and 1-1 in Class 4A District 7, did not handle the treacherous field conditions and slippery ball, as the Tigers put the ball on the ground eight times. Lake Wales (6-1, 3-0) came up with it on six different occasions.
The Highlanders took full advantage of those takeaways, scoring four touchdowns on its way to clinching the district title.
Lake Wales receiver Kaneilius Purdy, who is committed to UCF, found his footing early in the game and made the Tigers pay. He scored three touchdowns, the final one a screen pass from quarterback Kingston Loydd that he took 38 yards to the end zone. That slammed the door on Jones.
Jones came into the contest ranked No. 5 in 4A, with Lake Wales sitting at No. 8. The Tigers will now be looking for an at-large berth to the postseason party.
The Tigers never got on track and managed less than 30 total yards on offense, thanks to a number of negative-yardage plays. A bad snap in the second quarter that sent the ball into the end, resulting in a safety. Lake Wales led 14-6 at halftime.
Jones got on the board just before halftime when defensive back Sharad Haire stepped in front of a Loydd pass at the 50-yard line and nearly returned it for a touchdown, getting dragged down at the 4-yard line. Damir Williams, who had 116 yards against Ocoee last week, punched in the touchdown from five yards out, thanks to some big-time blocking by defensive tackle Dajur Webb, inserted into the game at fullback.
Webb was one the few Jones players who seemed to acclimate himself to the weather conditions. He said the sloppy elements were perfect for his playing style.
“I’m from Pittsburgh, so we always got rain, snow, so I’m pretty used to this,” Webb said. “I’m playing for my brothers out here, so that was my main goal.”
PRE-GAME NOTES:
The winner of this game has a lock on the Class 4A District 6 title.
Lake Wales, a 15-0 state champ in 2022 and final four team in 2019 and 2023, lost to Jones twice last year — 48-22 in the regular season and 24-10 in a playoff rematch.
Friday games
No. 4 Seminole defeated Lake Mary, 21-19
Coverage by Chris Martucci
The undefeated Seminoles (7-0, 2-0) trailed for most of the evening but rallied to win at home and are now alone in first place in Class 6A District 3.
Seminole erupted in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns to win the rivalry game.
Down 12-6 going into the fourth quarter, and being out of sorts for periods during the contest, Seminole’s offense found its rhythm and scored twice to go up 21-12.
Seminole’s twin rushing attack of Tyree Howard and Jamar Buckner set the tone for the offense as they scored three touchdowns between the two of them. Howard scored two while rushing for 101 yards on eight carries. He also caught six passes for 107 yards.
Buckner rushed 11 times for 53 yards and a touchdown.
Lake Mary dropped to 1-6 and 0-2 in district play.
Though the two teams were on opposite ends of the standings, records do not matter in big rivalry games like these.
“It’s Lake Mary and Seminole; it’s always going to be a big-time game, a rivalry game,” said Seminole head coach Karl Calhoun Jr. “I’m just happy our guys made a few more plays to seal the game there at the end.”
One of those plays occurred with less than five minutes remaining. Lake Mary kicker Lucas Parker lined up for a 21-yard field goal to potentially put the Rams back up by two. Seminole broke through and blocked the kick.
Two plays later, Howard exploded for a 77-yard touchdown run to make the lead a bit more comfortable for the Fightin’ Noles. Seminole chose to go for the two-point conversion. Quarterback Daniel Proenza stumbled but recovered, and rolled out to his right to find receiver Cam Roberts in the end zone for the two-point conversion.
Lake Mary scored again to make it 21-19, but that’s as close as they would get as Seminole drained the rest of the clock.
Seminole now seeks to avenge its loss in last year’s state playoffs against Spruce Creek in a home game next week.
IN-GAME NOTES:
TOUCHDOWN: Lake Mary responds with a score of its own as Remy Jarman finds Caleb Thomas for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Extra point good. 21-19 Seminole. 3:03 4Q.
TOUCHDOWN: Tyree Howard increases the Seminole lead as he turns on the jets for a 77-yard touchdown run, his second score of the night. Two-point conversion good. 21-12 Seminole. 3:50 4Q.
Lucas Parker’s 21-yard field goal attempt is blocked by Seminole and the ‘Noles recover. First down Seminole with 4:54 left in the fourth quarter.
Seminole’s Romere Ball lays out a big hit on the kickoff return that has Lake Mary’s Kel Gainer seeing stars right now. Gainer is able to walk off the field under his own power.
TOUCHDOWN: Seminole breaks the stalemate that dominated the third quarter with a drive capped off by Jamar Buckner’s 1-yard touchdown run. Extra point is good. 13-12 Seminole. 8:26 4Q.
Lake Mary clings to 12-6 lead going into the final quarter.
Lake Mary now forced to punt after a three-and-out. Seminole takes over at its 35. 6:30 3Q.
Seminole punts on its first possession of the second half.
Light rain is starting to fall at Seminole as we are about to get underway here for the second half. Seminole to receive the kickoff.
Seminole halftime stat leaders:
Daniel Proenza: 7-for-11 121 yards
Tyree Howard: 3 rushes, 17 yards 1 touchdown; 6 receptions 107 yards.
Lake Mary stats leaders:
Remy Jarman: 12-for-20 for 178 yards and a touchdown pass
Cole Emanuel: 6 receptions, 96 yards
Kel Gainer: 2 receptions, 40 yards 1 touchdown
A halftime, Lake Mary leads Seminole, 12-6.
Lucas Parker’s 35-yard field goal attempt for Lake Mary is no good.
Seminole pooch punts the ball. Lake Mary will take over at its 38 with 44 seconds left in the second half, still leading 12-6.
TOUCHDOWN: Seminole responds with a 9-play drive that is capped off by a 9-yard touchdown run by running back Tyree Howard. Extra point no good. 12-6 Lake Mary. 5:20 2Q.
RJ Hampton nearly comes up with an interception but the ball is incomplete. Fourth down for Lake Mary.
SAFETY: Snap goes over Seminole punter Austin Plebanski’s head and into the back of the end zone for a safety. Lake Mary leads 12-0 with 10:39 to go before halftime.
TOUCHDOWN: Remy Jarman throws the ball in the face of immense pressure and finds Kel Gainer for the 25 yard touchdown to increase the Lake Mary lead. Extra point good. 10-0 Lake Mary. 11:52 2Q.
Lake Mary driving as Remy Jarman finds Cole Emanuel for a 38-yard gain to set the Rams up deep in Seminole territory.
Lake Mary 3, Seminole 0 at the end of the first quarter.
Honor Loureiro’s 36-yard field goal attempt for Seminole misses. Lake Mary takes possession still up 3-0. 2:47 1Q.
FIELD GOAL: Lucas Parker’s 43-yard field goal is good. 3-0 Lake Mary with 5:43 to go in the first quarter.
Lake Mary is moving down the field with surgical precision on this opening drive. Quarterback Remy Jarman starts 5-for-5, with four passes going to Cole Emanuel.
Lake Mary has won the coin toss and chosen to receive.
Slightly cloudy skies up here in Sanford, but perfect conditions for a big rivalry game between undefeated Seminole and defending 7A champion Lake Mary. Record goes out the window in rivalry games like this.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
Seminole is tied with Lake Brantley (3-3, 1-0) for first in 6A District 3 but won’t look past struggling rival Lake Mary in this fierce rivalry game.
The series is tied 4-4 since the teams were placed back into the same district in 2021. But the Rams have won the past three meetings, including two wins in 2024.
No. 10 Evans defeated South Lake, 48-17
Coverage by Jean Racine
Evans (4-3. 2-0), on its homecoming night, pulled away from South Lake (2-5, 1-1) in the second half and are now all alone atop the Class 5A District 4 standings.
Following a 13-7 halftime score, Trojans running back Daveon Williams refused to go down and maintained his balance on a 21-yard touchdown with 7:50 remaining in the third quarter. Evans converted on a two-point conversion pass and took a 21-7 lead.
The Trojans gained more momentum and on the next drive, junior defensive back Demetre Pryor intercepted a pass and returned it to the Eagles’ 6-yard line. Senior quarterback William Jackson would then pass senior Brian Dillard for a 12-yard touchdown.
“We just came out and played Evans ball,” said Pryor, who finished the game with two interceptions. “We’re trying to show everybody who we really are. We had a few slip-ups in the beginning of the season. And we’re really going to show everybody our true identity.”
Jackson, who completed 4-of-11 passes in the first half for 39 yards, finished with 283 yards passing and threw three touchdown passes in the second half. He completed 10-of-12 passes after the break.
“First half, (Jackson) played like how we played. Sloppy,” Evans coach Karlos Odum said. “And in the second half it was a lot cleaner. And that’s a Power 5 quarterback the way he came out and played the second half.
Dilliard finished with 8 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns.
“That’s a big-time wide receiver. Big time threat,” Odum said of Dilliard.
Williams got Evans going on the ground. He ran the ball 11 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
IN-GAME UPDATES:
FIELD GOAL: South Lake kicker Marcello Velez-Cortes knocks down a 33-yard field goal. Evans leads 48-17 with 0.45 seconds remaining in the game.
TOUCHDOWN: Evans RB Kamari Thompson scores on a 12-yard TD run. Two-point conversion pass is completed from William Jackson to Jaydon Sweet. Evans leads 48-14 with 3:55 remaining in the game.
Onside kick attempt by South Lake is recovered by Evans. Trojans will start the drive on their 46-yard line.
TOUCHDOWN: South Lake QB Walker Mottley completes a 2-yard touchdown pass to Willie Dixon. Extra point is good. Evans leads 40-14 with 5:49 remaining in the game.
South Lakes Willie Dixon returns kickoff from 10-yard line to the 50 and he is brought down with a horse-collar tackle. South Lake will start its next drive on the Trojans 35-yard line.
TOUCHDOWN: Evans QB William Jackson throws a 40-yard touchdown to receiver Mike Stinson. Two-point conversion pass attempt is incomplete. Evans leads 40-7 with 10:51 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Evans forces a three and out and gets the ball back on their 43-yard line with 11:44 left in the fourth quarter.
Evans leads 34-7 heading into fourth quarter.
South Lake returns kickoff to 21 yard line.
TOUCHDOWN: Evans QB William Jackson throws an 87-yard touchdown bomb to Brian Dillard. Trojans go for two and is stopped on a run attempt. Evans leads 34-7 with 1 minute remaining in the third quarter.
Evans Demetre Pryor gets another interception at the Trojans 13-yard line.
South Lake return man Cody Mason returns the kickoff to the 50-yard line.
TOUCHDOWN: William Jackson connects on a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brian Dillard. Extra point is good. Evans leads 28-7 with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter.
Evans DB Demetre Pryor intercepts a pass and returns it to Eagles’ 6-yard line.
South Lake returned kickoff to its 28.
TOUCHDOWN: Evans RB Daveon Williams refuses to go down and maintains his balance on a 21-yard touchdown run. Trojans go for two and convert on a pass from William Jackson to Jaydon Sweet. Evans led 21-7 with 7:50 remaining in the third quarter
Evans forces a three and out. Trojans returns punt to South Lake’s 47-yard line and the ball is moved back 15 yards after an unsportsmanlike penalty.
South Lake receives the kickoff to start the second half. Return man is knocked out of bounds at the Eagles 30-yard line
HALFTIME: Evans 13, South Lake 7.
Eagles stop Trojans and takes over on its own 47-yard line with 3:44 remaining in the half.
Eagles are forced to punt and the ball lands on the Trojans 18-yard line.
Evans is forced to punt and the ball rolls out of bounds at the 50-yard line.
South Lake punts and the ball rolls out of bounds. Evans will take over on its own 25-yard line.
End of first quarter: Evans 13, South Lake 7.
Evans punts and the ball goes out of bounds. South Lake will start its possession on its own 23-yard line.
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Evans defense forces a three and out. After punt, Trojans will start the next drive on their own 28-yard line.
South Lake will start its first series of down on their own 29-yard line. Their TD was on a kickoff return. Evans leads 13-7.
TOUCHDOWN: Evans scores on a 10-yard run by Jayden Gibson. Trojans muffed snap and failed on extra point attempt. Evans leads 13-7 with 5:25 remaining in the first quarter.
Trojans return the kickoff to their 35-yard line.
TOUCHDOWN: South Lake answers with a 85-yard kickoff return score by Cody Mason. Extra point is good. Game is tied at 7-7 with 9:37 remaining in the first quarter.
TOUCHDOWN: Evans scores on a 15-yard Touchdown run by RB Daveon Williams. Extra point is good. Trojans lead 7-0 with 9:56 remaining in the first quarter. Williams accounted for all but one yard on the Trojans first possession.
Evans returns the kickoff to its 49-yard line.
Evans won the toss and choose to receive.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
Teams tied for the Class 5A District 4 lead meet for the first time since 2012. Evans is 2-0 vs. the Eagles.
The Trojans have alternated wins and losses and want to finally have a winning streak after crushing Lake Minneola in their district debut, 46-0.
South Lake has won twice since an 0-4 start.
The Evans duo of senior quarterback Will Jackson (1,752 yards and 12 TDs on 70% passing) and junior wideout Brian Dillard (32 catches for 731 yards) is lethal. Jackson committed to Maryland.
Geneva School defeated Trinity Prep, 24-7
Coverage by Philip Rossman-Reich
Geneva quarterback Luke Gilmartin threw for 214 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Knights to an important victory. He connected with touchdown passes to Will Thigpen, Baker Costar and Mateo Medina as the Knights (5-2) took a 17-0 lead in the first half and never looked back. The gave up only a late touchdown and answered it immediately with a TD drive to put the game out of reach.
“Our defense played really well,” Gilmartin said. “Our offense, as a whole was, clicking. Our line was blocking well. Our receivers were getting open and catching the ball well and making plays after the catch.”
The Knights put the Saints (4-3) on the backfoot immediately, forcing a fumble on the opening kickoff. They turned that into a four-play drive and a 14-yard touchdown throw from Gilmartin to Thigpen.
Geneva saved the fireworks for its second drive.
After forcing a punt, the Knights got backed up to their own 8-yard line following a holding penalty. Gilmartin found Costar on a corner route for a 20-yard gain and Costar did the rest, outrunning the defense for a 92-yard score.
The Knights defense held off the Saints from there, recording two sacks in the game and keeping the Saints from crossing the 50 on all but three drives, two coming in the second half with the Knights already up by three scores.
“Turnovers cause momentum,” Langdon said. “You score after a turnover, it’s huge.”
Trinity Prep got 150 yards passing from quarterback Joseph Macau. He set up Trinity’s lone score when he avoided a rush from Stanford commit Duke Carpenter on a third-and-18 near midfield and flung the ball to Cade Von Weller near the goal line for a 53-yard pass play.
Running back Kyle He finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. He finished with 76 yards on 12 carries.
That was the only scoring the Saints could muster in this matchup for two playoff hopefuls.
The teams remain squarely on the bubble for the Independent League B playoffs. But as the season winds down, this is a win that could put Geneva in control of its postseason destiny.
“Our focus is just staying together as a team,” Gilmartin said. “As the season goes on, we’ll get closer. I think our focus is really just staying together and obviously improving.”
Geneva has a short week, playing Wednesday against Bishop McLaughlin at home.
IN-GAME UPDATES:
Trinity’s Joseph Macau found Armando Ros Diaz for a 30-yard pass to get to midfield. But three incompletions and an intentional grounding call pushed back the Saints and their fourth down throw is incomplete. Geneva takes over in plus territory with 3:37 left to play.
TOUCHDOWN: After two false start penalties and a delay of game penalty as Geneva tries to see this game out, Luke Gilmartin fired a dart to Mateo Medina for a 45-yard touchdown play. Geneva leads Trinity 24-7 with 4:14 left in the fourth quarter.
TOUCHDOWN: Trinity’s Joseph Macau avoids a rush from standout linebacker Duke Carpenter on 3rd and 18 and flings it downfield for Cade Von Weller to catch it at the one for a 53-yard pass play. Kyle He rushes it in one play later to put the Saints on the board. Geneva leads 17-7 with 10:48 left in the fourth quarter.
A 25-yard gain by Trinity’s Kyle He on a screen pass gets the Saints in positive territory as the third quarter ends. Geneva leads 17-0.
Geneva cannot take advantage of the good field position. Colton Cahill misses a 28-yard field goal try. Geneva remains ahead of Trinity 17-0 with 1:45 to play. It has started to rain in Casselberry.
Geneva is driving after taking over at the Saints’ 34-yard line. 4:39 left in the third quarter.
Trinity Prep, desperate to get back into the game, draws up a fake point with quarterback/punter Joseph Macau in the backfield. He had Zion Williams wide open for a first down near midfield. But the ball was dropped.
FIELD GOAL: Geneva ends the first half with a 22-yard field goal from Colton Cahill. The Knights lead Trinity Prep 17-0 at the half.
Luke Gilmartin is sacked on consecutive downs by Harrison Wicker and then by Donald Franklin turning a 3rd and 1 into a turnover on downs. Trinity takes over at its own 35 with 6:34 left in the second quarter.
Trinity survives a fumble on a 17-yard throw to Harrison Wicker that got the Saints to midfield. They drove into the red zone thanks to a 32-yard run by Kyle He. But two straight incompletions stalled the drive at the 10 and the Saints turned it over on downs. Geneva leads Trinity 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
TOUCHDOWN: Geneva was backed up to its own 8-yard line after a holding penalty. But Luke Gilmartin passed to Baker Costar near the sideline at the 30-yard line. Costar took it the rest of the way for a 92-yard score. Geneva leads Trinity 14-0 with 4:22 left in the first quarter.
TOUCHDOWN: Luke Gilmartin finds Will Thigpen on a slant for 14 yards and a touchdown. Geneva leads Trinity 7-0 with 10:31 left in the first quarter.
Trinity’s Armando Ros Diaz gets a decent return on the opening kickoff, but he fumbles and Geneva recovers at the Saints 30.
Geneva kicks off to Trinity and we are underway.
Checking in from Casselberry where Geneva is getting ready to host Trinity. Beautiful evening with a few clouds overhead.
PRE-GAME NOTES:
Big game for small-school teams seeking playoff berths in the new FHSAA Independent League.
Trinity Prep sophomore Kyle He has run for 726 yards and 14 touchdowns while also playing linebacker.
The Saints hosted last year’s game and won 41-20 in Geneva’s first year of 11-man football.
Knights head coach Dave Langdon was Trinity Prep’s athletic director for 11 years (2012-2023) before taking the Geneva football job.
Other Super 16 games
No. 1 DeLand defeated University (Orange) City, 57-7
Area No. 1 Bulldogs (6-1, 2-0) came in averaging 42.5 points.
University is 1-6 overall, 0-2 in district play.
No. 2 The First Academy defeated Archbishop McCarthy, 31-24
It wasn’t easy, but the Royals (6-1) scored the win at home. Trailing by double-digit points for most of the first two-and-a-half quarters, TFA turned up the defense and made some big plays on offense in the second half to hold off the Mavericks.
The Royals scored their first touchdown midway through the third quarter on a 9-yard run by Hyquez Russell. Archbishop McCarthy responded with a TD drive of its own to go up 17-6. TFA’s Bam Whitfield scored on a 75-yard TD run two plays after the kickoff.
Late in the third after forcing McCarthy (3-4) to punt, TFA took its first lead, 18-17, on a 60-yard TD run from freshman QB Deuce Woods Jr.
After another defensive stop, Wood Jr. scored again on a 43-yard TD run on fourth-and-3. McCarthy tied the game at 24-24 on an 8-yard TD catch by Ethan Jones from Nate Merrell Jr. with 4:05 left in the game, but the score only stayed tied for 10 seconds after Whitfield returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown.
MaxPreps ranks Class 2A TFA No. 6 for all classifications.
No. 5 Bishop Moore defeated Winter Springs, 52-0
The Hornets (5-2, 3-0), with five wins in a row, are alone atop Class 4A District 6.
Winter Springs dropped to 3-4 overall and 0-2 in district play.
No. 6 Edgewater defeated Olympia, 34-0 (Wednesday)
The two coaches decided in the third quarter, after Edgewater had taken a 21-0 halftime lead with weather conditions not getting any better, to play the game with a running clock the rest of the way.
Sophomores Bryce Jackson and Luke Ferenac each scored two touchdowns, and senior Jaelyn Powell added another.
The Eagles went without talented sophomore running back Jahmari Hammonds for the fourth straight game due to a high-ankle sprain.
No. 7 West Orange defeated No. 13 Dr. Phillips, 44-27
The Warriors (6-1, 1-1) rebound from a Class 6A District 6 loss to Edgewater by outscoring DP (4-3, 1-1).
DP still leads the Battle for the Ole Orange Crate rivalry 19-16.
No. 8 Lake Nona defeated Harmony, 63-0
Lake Nona (6-1, 2-0) stays atop the Class 6A District 5 standings.
Harmony dropped to 1-6, 0-3 in district play.
No. 9 Oviedo defeated Viera, 44-0
The Lions (5-2, 3-0) came in sharing the Class 5A District 5 lead with Lake Howell (4-3, 2-1), which lost at Melbourne (5-2, 2-1) on Friday night. Now Oviedo is all alone in first place with district games against Lyman and Lake Howell remaining.
Viera is 3-4 and 1-2 in district play.
Celebration (1-5, 0-1) at No. 11 Ocoee (3-3, 1-0)
Ocoee is tied with East Ridge for the lead in Class 6A District 7.
No. 12 East Ridge defeated Horizon, 51-7
East Ridge (6-2, 2-0) set up its Oct. 23 trip to Ocoee as the district title game.
Horizon is 2-6, 0-2 in district play.
No. 13 Hagerty defeated Boone, 28-17
It was a back-and-forth contest before Hagerty (5-1, 2-0) scored a pair of touchdowns in the final five minutes to clinch the Class 6A District 4 championship.
Boone (3-4, 0-2) led 14-7 at halftime before Hagerty tied the game midway through the third quarter on a 7-yard TD run from Jonathan Lewis. He was set up by an 88-yard run by quarterback Royce Jenkins after the defense stopped Boone at the 3-yard line.
After Boone took a 17-14 lead on a 24-yard field goal, Hagerty responded with a touchdown drive capped off by Jenkins’ 17-yard run. The Huskies’ defense had an interception on the next Boone possession, and sealed the win with a 15-yard TD pass from Jenkins to Eric Lleras.
The Braves had a 53-yard TD pass from Jake Nassar to Gabe Zephirin in the second quarter.
Melbourne defeated No. 15 Lake Nowell, 42-28
The Melbourne (5-2, 2-1) win and loss for Lake Howell (4-3, 2-1) leaves Oviedo alone atop the 5A District 5 standings. The Lions host Oviedo on Oct. 23.
Apopka defeated No. 16 (tie) Lake Brantley, 21-15
The underdog Blue Darters (3-4, 1-1) dealt the Patriots (3-4, 1-1) their first district loss.
Apopka is now 9-0 against the Patriots since since a loss in 2011.
No. 16 (tie) Innovation defeated Colonial, 51-0
Innovation (7-0) has the second-best MaxPreps ranking among teams in the new FHSAA Independent League.
Colonial is 4-3.
Kissimmee Gateway defeated Tohopekaliga, 33-0
Coverage by J. Daniel Pearson
Johnny Reyes returned a second quarter interception 16-yards for a touchdown and later added a long run for a score as Gateway Panthers (6-1, 2-1) recorded the lopsided win after the game was delayed 50 minutes by a thunderstorm.
The win insured the Panthers will finish with a regular season record above .500 for the first time since 2017 and also sets up a potential district championship game with Lake Nona (6-1, 2-0) next week.
“Really proud of how these guys fought tonight,” Gateway coach Marlin Roberts said. “With them being a passing team, the heavy rain before the game probably helped us a little, but I don’t think there was any question who the better team was tonight.”
Both teams started the game with long drives that ate up the entire first quarter without points. But two plays later, Reyes stepped in front of a Gabriel Velez pass, broke one tackle and raced into the endzone for a 6-0 Tigers lead. The Panthers extended that to 14-0 on their next possession, with quarterback Aristotle Span Jr. finding Tavian Martinez from seven yards out for a TD pass.
Gateway put the game away on its first drive of the second half. Span faked a handoff to Nydrell Thigpen and then pitched the ball to Reyes on the reverse. He ran untouched 53 yards down the right sideline for the score.
Thigpen, who rushed for 98 yards on 26 carries, later scored from three yards out to make it a 27-0 before wide receiver Jesan Hernandez tacked on a final touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
“For a second week in a row, our opponent was stacking the box with eight to stop Nydrell,” Roberts said. “But he kept pounding the rock for four or five yards on practically every carry. He not only wore them down but set up three of our other touchdowns, including the one on the reverse. When we can force opponents to spend so much time defending him, it sets up our other playmakers.”
This was the first regular-season meeting between the schools, who are less than 15 minutes apart. They had met in two spring games and a 2025 bowl game, all won by the Tigers.
More games of note
Winter Park defeated Timber Creek, 27-14
The Wildcats (3-4, 2-1) beat the Wolves (4-3, 1-2) for the fifth time in a row.
Windermere defeated St. Cloud, 24-13
The Wolverines are 5-2 after scoring the road win against the Bulldogs (4-3).
These teams went 1-1 against each other in 2017-18 games.
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at [email protected].
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